Electronic surveillance systems for monitoring boundaries are well known. For example, a system of closed circuit cameras may be used to monitor a portion of the border of a country to help detect and deter the illegal entry of people into the country.
Although such contemporary surveillance systems have proven generally suitable for their intended purposes, they possess inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall effectiveness and desirability. For example, camera systems are difficult to implement and monitor for borders having a substantial length. A long border requires that many cameras be installed and monitored simultaneously. Often, budgetary constrains limit the number of cameras that may be installed and monitored. The implementation of such contemporary surveillance systems over extended distances is expensive to establish, operate, and maintain.
Further, surveillance systems that have a large number of cameras tend to be less reliable than desired. Not only may a human operator fail to notice suspicious activity, but often some percentage of the cameras will be inoperable. Such inoperable cameras can provide an opportunity for intruders to compromise the surveillance system. The utility afforded by such contemporary surveillance systems may also depend upon environmental factors, such as weather. An intrusion may be undetectable in adverse weather conditions, such as heavy wind, rain, fog, snow, and hail. Individual cameras can also be compromised in a specific area, such as by the intruders themselves.
As such, it is desirable to provide a surveillance system that is inexpensive to install and operate and that also reliably detects intrusions and their locations along a border, even in adverse conditions.